The Secret History
The Secret History by Donna Tarttby Donna Tartt
Shares rank 53 of 122 novels by recommenders
People recommend it for rereading, calling it still wonderful, and praise its rich, interesting characters. No caveats were raised.
People recommend it for rereading, calling it still wonderful, and praise its rich, interesting characters. No caveats were raised.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Still wonderful on rereading
“I reread The Secret History by Donna Tartt for the umpteenth time and it is still wonderful.”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” Rich, interesting characters
“Incredibly rich and interesting characters.”
Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “Badreads”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Secret Historyby Donna TarttThis page | 4 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
2 of the 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Incredibly rich and interesting characters.”
“I reread The Secret History by Donna Tartt for the umpteenth time and it is still wonderful.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.